June 26th Round-Up!

What a crazy week it has been, actually a crazy couple of weeks...OK, let's face it, we just live in a crazy world right now with so much going on everywhere. 

Peace be with those the world has lost and peace be with the world.

What keeps me (mostly) sane in times like these is the time spent with family and good friends and that so often that ends up being set over wonderful food. I had a chance to hang out with some old friends last night and to enjoy some incredible tapas, made by my friend Natalie. It was relaxing to sit on her deck with Spanish music playing softly and fill our bellies and souls with delicious food and good conversation; a break from the real world. That's also why I like Tyler Florence Fridays, as I love getting virtually together and sharing our food and thoughts with each other. It is something to look forward to at the end of each week. Since there are a lot of amazing dishes, photos and posts for this week, let's get to sharing. 

Kim from Stirring the Pot found a new favorite Tyler recipe to add to her list, his Ultimate Lasagna Bolognese.  Kim says, "This recipe gets the five-star rating from me. It will be added to my dinner rotation AND I will recommend it to everyone!! My husband, who is never quick to dole out compliments, declared this recipe one of the top ten best things that I have ever cooked!!"

With dinner and dessert this week is Beth from The Seventh Level Boredom who made Tyler's Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes and Peas. Beth comments, "What a great, EASY weeknight dinner this one was!" And her husband cleared his plate! 

As if that wasn't enough, hot weather and a need to celebrating finishing the deck on their house had her making Tyler's refreshing Baked Lime Pudding Cakes. Improvising a bit by using the red grapefruit she had on hand, Beth says, "These would be the perfect finish to a barbecue....a refreshing little bite, in individual portions."

Heather from Heatherisathome liked her TFF experience so much last week she came back and says, "For my second submission to TFF, I made Tyler's Chicken with Mushrooms & Marsala from Stirring the Pot. I thought this was a good dish, but was missing some color (not really a complaint though). Again, another great weeknight meal... I followed the recipe pretty much to a "t"."

Finding a way to get some nutritious Brussels sprouts into her family is Megan from My Baking Adventures with Tyler's Bacon and Brussels Sprout Hash. Megan declares, "All I can tell you is that if you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts, try this recipe, and get back to me. You’ll never feel the same way about those little cabbages again." She says this has even become her kids favorite side dish!

Speaking of Megan's kids, let's welcome her daughter Sabrina from Sabrina's Sweet Treats to TFF! Sabrina loved her Mom's second recipe for TFF so much, she decided to make Tyler's Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri Sauce. Sabrina had a good time making this, (you can see all the great prep shots on her blog), and says. "I want to try his Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon next." (BTW: Sabrina, if you want to make that mac-n-cheese in Hawaii, you are welcome to cook in my kitchen any time!)

Let's also welcome Debby from A Feast for the Eyes who is joining us this week. Debby made a hearty Tyler dinner with his Pan Roasted Cowboy Ribeye with Creamed Swiss Chard and his Caramelized Onion Potato Tart. Debby says, "We loved it! This meal has so many flavors going on-- the texture of the panko crumbs, the creaminess of the Swiss chard and the tender cut of rib eye."

Although she isn't blaming Tyler for the death of her barbecue grill when she set it on fire last month, Jenny from All Things Edible is finally revealing what she was cooking on it; Tyler's Ultimate BBQ Chicken! Jenny says, "Was the chicken worth killing my bbq over? Sorry, no. NOTHING would taste so good it would be worth the death of my summer kitchen. And despite that tragedy, this was still some very tasty chicken."

Jessica from My Baking Heart is overcoming her normal dislike of the heat of summer by chowing down on plenty of the season's bounty of berries. With her berry leftovers, Tyler's Lemon Pudding Cake with Fresh Mixed Berries was an obvious choice to make for TFF this week. Jessica says, "They were delicious! This is a perfect little dessert to serve at a dinner party. Just double the recipe and you’ve got enough for 8!"

Since the berries at her local orchard are so beautiful right now, Karen at Something Sweet By Karen, just had to make Tyler's Spring Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup. Karen comments, "I really loved this panna cotta. It was smooth, creamy, and a little tangy. The vanilla was very present and the touch of lemon was nice. The balsamic strawberries were the perfect topping."

To delay the inevitable advancement on her house by her renegade, "bully" mint plants, Natashya at Living in the Kitchen With Puppies, tries to use it often. What better way to utilize fresh mint than in Tyler's cool, refreshing Cuban Mojitos?! Natashya says, "These cocktails are cool and sweet and pack a nice punch. Two or three and your troubles will just melt away. Take the afternoon off, the phone off the hook, and share a toast to summer."

Finding the recipe for Tyler Florence's Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples in Real Simple magazine, Kristen at Sogkonnite Living kept trying to make it but her kids kept eating the croissants. Finally, for Father's Day she got it made. Kristen says it was "very good. Super sweet though. A half of this plus something like hash browns to balance out the sweetness would probably be a good idea."

After seeing blood oranges at her grocery store, Pam of Sidewalk Shoes found Tyler's recipe for Citrus-Glazed Quail with Roasted Peaches, Polenta, and Bitter Greens. Unfortunately when she went back to get them there were none to be found. Even missing the blood oranges and the bitter greens, Pam says it was still "wonderful", and comments, "The combination of the citrus flavored quail, the sweet grilled peaches and the rich cheesy polenta was outstanding."

Showing her love for her Dad on Father's Day, Joanne from Eats Well with Others, whipped him up a great dinner which included Tyler's Cornbread. Since her Dad isn't into spicy things, Joanne made this recipe which includes bacon. She says that it "turned out really well. My dad ate 1/4 of the loaf! I will definitely make it again WITH the chiles for myself."

Made as a side dish with last week's prime rib dinner, Glennis from Can'tbelieveweate is back this week with Tyler's recipe for Yorkshire Popovers. Glennis says that they "came out fabulously! We had them with the prime rib initially, but they were good enough to eat out of hand by themselves! The next day we used them as a cup for steak and and a poached egg...what a great brunch! Thanks Tyler!! This is a keeper!!"

Finally at Kahakai Kitchen, if you can't actually eat dinner with Tyler, you can at least have a great dinner with all Tyler recipes. I made his Grilled Chicken Breast with Ginger, Soy Cold Sesame Noodles and Sweet Chili Cucumbers for one easy and delicious summer dinner. I really liked all three dishes on their own and combined, you get a great combination of Asian flavors. 

Great job as usual everyone--a diverse collection of Tyler's recipes this week. 

There are still a few days left to make our "Megan's Challenge" recipe for this month, Tyler's Summer Rolls. They have gotten rave reviews, and you can find the details on them here. 

You don't know how hard all of you are making selecting just one post and blog to be featured on Tyler's site each week! We are so proud of all you and your cooking skills and passion. Please keep it up--we love a challenge! ;-)

This Week's Tyler's Blog Pick Winner 

The dish and post selected to be profiled on Tyler's site is the gorgeous and perfect for summer, Cuban Mojitos from our own Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Using fresh mint from her garden and the lovely outdoor photos with all that calming green, make this one a winner. 

Congratulations Natashya, the post should be on Tyler's Blog on Monday and we'll do a separate announcement when the post is up on Tyler's site. 

Enjoy your weekend!